The OECD Water Governance Principles in Flood Risk Management - Understanding Conflicts and Frictions in Dutch Flood Protection

Sep 4, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel

The OECD Water Governance Principles offer guidance for good water governance, yet the principles can conflict when applied in practice. This study examines which dilemmas arise and how those conflicts unfold through an in-depth case study of Dutch flood risk management. Data were collected via interviews with water managers on which principles contradict one another and how conflicts operate in everyday decision-making. Findings show that efficiency, trust, and engagement principles have the highest conflict potential.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Water governance attention and flood risk context

OECD Water Governance Principles framework

Conflicts, dilemmas, and trade-offs in practice

Dutch case study approach and interview data

Findings on where conflicts emerge

The OECD Water Governance Principles in Flood Risk Management Understanding Conflicts and Frictions in Dutch Flood Protection Nature and Culture Keller, Nadine; Tempels, Barbara; Hartmann, Thomas [https://doi.org/10.3167/nc.2022.170304](https://doi.org/10.3167/nc.2022.170304) This publication is made publicly available in the institutional repository of Wageningen University and Research, under the terms of article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, also known as the Amendment Taverne. This has been done with explicit consent by the author. Article 25fa states that the author of a short scientific work funded either wholly or partially by Dutch public funds is entitled to make that work publicly available for no consideration following a reasonable period of time after the work was first published, provided that clear reference is made to the source of the first publication of the work. This publication is distributed under The Association of Universities in the Netherlands (VSNU)'Article 25fa implementation' project. In this project research outputs of researchers employed by Dutch Universities that comply with the legal requirements of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act are distributed online and free of cost or other barriers in institutional repositories. Research outputs are distributed six months after their first online publication in the original published version and with proper attribution to the source of the original publication. You are permitted to download and use the publication for personal purposes. All rights remain with the author(s) and / or copyright owner(s) of this work. Any use of the publication or parts of it other than authorised under article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright act is prohibited. Wageningen University & Research and the author(s) of this publication shall not be held responsible or liable for any damages resulting from your (re)use of this publication. For questions regarding the public availability of this publication please contact [openscience.library@wur.nl](openscience.library@wur.nl) The OECD Water Governance Principles in Flood Risk Management Understanding Conflicts and Frictionsin Dutch Flood Protection Nadine Keller, Barbara Tempels, and Thomas Hartmann ◩ Abstract: The OECD Water Governance Principles provide a guideline for good water governance. However, these principles can conflict with eachother when applied in practice. This contribution aims to understand which dilemmas arise and how such conflicts play out. It is explored in an in-depth case study on Dutch flood risk management in which conflicts between the principles emerge when applied to flood risk management practice. Interviews with water managers were used to collect data on which principles contradict each other and how these conflicts work out in practice. The study reveals that although the principles seem obvious, some principles indeed clash when applying them, while others do not lead to conflicts. Principles on efficiency, trust, and engagement have high potential for conflicts. Keywords: conflicts, flood risk management, OECD, OECD principles on water governance, water governance ◪ Water governance has attracted increasing attention as a policy concern in recent years (Woodhouse and Muller 2017). For example, the World Economic Forum (2021) identifies water crises as one of the top global risks in the last years. Floods are occurring with greater frequency and have become more damaging over the years. The associated rising costs have challenged traditional governance approaches that aim to provide full protection against floods (Bergsma 2016). The OECD Water Governance Principles, developed by the OECD Water Governance Initiative, provide a framework to guide good governance, according to the OECD itself (OECD 2015). They are divided into 12 principles that intend to contribute to tangible and outcomeoriented public policies based on three mutually reinforcing and complemen

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the OECD Water Governance Principles in flood risk management?

The principles provide guidance for good water governance and aim to support tangible, outcome-oriented public policies. They focus on dimensions such as effectiveness, efficiency, trust, and engagement.

Why can the OECD principles conflict when applied in practice?

The framework does not guarantee perfect balance among principles in real settings. Conflicts and trade-offs can emerge because the principles relate to each other differently during implementation.

Which types of principles show the highest potential for conflicts in the Dutch flood protection case?

Principles related to efficiency, trust, and engagement have a high potential for conflicts. The study indicates that some principles clash in application while others do not lead to conflicts.

Sep 4, 2026

Uploaded by Mabel